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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · drill · spring · club · patient · present · land · row

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. row — a line
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. present — the time now
  5. club — for dancing
  6. spring — the season
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. present — a gift
  9. spring — a coil
  10. foot — a measure
  11. land — ground
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. club — a group
  16. drill — a practice
  17. club — for golf
  18. present — there
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. land — to come down
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. land — a country
  24. row — to paddle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com